Where do Florida coaches salaries rank with new Nick Saban deal?

With the news Tuesday that Nick Saban has yet another new deal (and it’s deserved), but will now be making an obscene $11 million to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide as college football’s highest paid coach this season, we decided to put that in perspective for the other head coaches at Florida schools.

So, here goes.

At FSU, Saban one time protege’ Jimbo Fisher was the fifth highest paid coach in the land last season at $5.25 million plus an additional $1.4 million in bonus packages. And then, the Noles brass gave him a new deal last December when LSU was trying to steal him away. So, Fisher will now make $5.5 million starting this year and the deal escalates over time and with win totals, other incentives and could ultimately be worth over $40 million dollars.

It’s also worth noting that Jimbo’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, is also Saban’s agent (as well as numerous other coaches in power conferences). And Sexton, regularly has included clauses in his client’s deals that they must be in either the top 10 or even top 5 in compensation or they get raises/new contracts automatically.

It’s called leverage, kids. And Sexton and his guys have it.

Next, Gators head man Jim McElwain (another Saban former assistant and also, Sexton client) just completed his second season Gainesville and is now making $4.3 million after Sexton got him a new deal with a $750,000 raise in 2016. His new contract has bonuses and escalators and as it continues, he stands to average well over $6 million per season.

The next highest paid college coach is new USF Bulls boss Charlie Strong. What’s intriguing is that Strong will still get $9 million dollars over the next two years from his deal with Texas having fired him. So USF only ends up paying strong $500,000 of it’s own money to coach the first two years and then, when they are completely responsible, his deal starts at $2.5 million plus bonuses and escalators in 2019. That is unless he really succeeds and he will get a new contract for 2019.

In Miami, Mark Richt took over the Canes and led them to a 9-4 record and a bowl game win in 2016. The U is a private school and they don’t have to disclose his or anyone else’s money, but it’s believed that Richt is making around the $4 million he made at Georgia at the end of his run. And as he succeeds, he will obviously get a new deal.

In Orlando, Scott Frost is entering year two after making a bowl game in 2015, and his UCF contract paid him $1.7 million a year ago. Needless to say, Frost stands to have that enhanced by UCF or will get a higher paying “power five” job (like Willie Taggart did at Oregon) and get his money there.

Finally, the two newest hires trying to restore FAU (Lane Kiffin) and FIU (Butch Davis) to credibility again, aren’t making quite what they were elsewhere.

Kiffin will make $950,000 in Boca Raton plus bonuses and yearly raises. But that is $500,00 less than he was making to be Alabama’s offensive coordinator (we said, it’s good to be with Saban). Kiffin is also hoping for the new deal if the Owls get going or he will also jump quickly to a power five school.

As for Davis, he will make $900,000 upcoming in 2017 and that will escalate in base salary over the life of the deal, where he’s making over $1 million in 2020. Again, that’s provided he doesn’t get a new contract or jump back into a big time college job.

And a quick reminder with all the above, there are those who still comically and idiotically, think there’s not money to pay major college football and basketball players.